A view of the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
In a bid to infuse young talent into the upper echelons of the district judiciary, a Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Thursday (October 9, 2025) held that judicial officers with seven years in the Bar before their recruitment to the subordinate judicial service are entitled to be appointed as District or Additional District Judges.
District Judges are considered for appointment to the High Court. So far, only practising lawyers with seven years were considered for direct recruitment as District Judges. In-service judicial officers, even with seven years of previous experience as lawyers, were not considered, leading to rustication and lack of drive, which may be a reason for pendency in lower courts.
Chief Justice Gavai reasoned that a lawyer does not stop being a lawyer once he or she is recruited as a judicial officer.
The court noted that there was no eligibility criteria prescribed under Article 233 (2) for a person already in judicial service of the Union or of the State for being appointed as District Judge.
“A person who has been or who is in judicial service and has a combined experience of seven years or more as an advocate or a Judicial Officer would be eligible for being considered and appointed as a District Judge/Additional District Judge under Article 233 of the Constitution,” the Bench held in a judgment.
Further, the Constitution Bench directed that the minimum age for being considered and appointed as a District Judge/Additional District Judge for both advocates and Judicial Officers would be 35 years of age as on the date of application.
The court directed State governments in consultation with High Courts to frame/amend the rules in accordance with this judgment within three months.
Published – October 09, 2025 11:26 am IST
